I have nothing left.

I have no money, no running water, no electricity, no gas/petrol, no operational electronics, no regular place to sleep, no modern conveniences of any kind. But I'm not alone, cause everyone around me is in the same predicament. The entire city is shut down, with no public services, no emergency services, and word on the street says that all the other cities around us have also shut down. All the stores with food have been emptied by looters. All the hospitals and medical centers and clinics have been looted out of meds. All the liquor stores have been looted dry. Once-domesticated animals are running wild, dangerous and hungry in the streets, sometimes attacking humans for food. People are literally dropping dead everywhere from highly contagious diseases. The stench of decaying flesh is inescapable.

Of course this story is fictional, but it's plausible. If the world's leaders keep acting as they've been acting recently, this could be a very real scenario for most, if not all of us.

Sounds like some right-wing nuttery meant to scare people into voting against their best interest. Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged is a work of fiction and she advocated for minimal government but collected welfare.

buddycat saidSounds like some right-wing nuttery meant to scare people into voting against their best interest. Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged is a work of fiction and she advocated for minimal government but collected welfare.

But this isn't about voting. It's about WWIII, which is eventually inevitable regardless of who we vote for, or what our political leanings are. The question is what would you do in the aftermath?

paulflexes saidI have no money, no running water, no electricity, no gas/petrol, no operational electronics, no regular place to sleep, no modern conveniences of any kind. But I'm not alone, cause everyone around me is in the same predicament. The entire city is shut down, with no public services, no emergency services, and word on the street says that all the other cities around us have also shut down. All the stores with food have been emptied by looters. All the hospitals and medical centers and clinics have been looted out of meds. All the liquor stores have been looted dry. Once-domesticated animals are running wild, dangerous and hungry in the streets, sometimes attacking humans for food. People are literally dropping dead everywhere from highly contagious diseases. The stench of decaying flesh is inescapable.

Of course this story is fictional, but it's plausible. If the world's leaders keep acting as they've been acting recently, this could be a very real scenario for most, if not all of us.

So...what would you do if this became your reality?

Paul, you mean the situation you describe is "fictional" to...everybody reading this thread, yes?

paulflexes saidI have no money, no running water, no electricity, no gas/petrol, no operational electronics, no regular place to sleep, no modern conveniences of any kind. But I'm not alone, cause everyone around me is in the same predicament. The entire city is shut down, with no public services, no emergency services, and word on the street says that all the other cities around us have also shut down. All the stores with food have been emptied by looters. All the hospitals and medical centers and clinics have been looted out of meds. All the liquor stores have been looted dry. Once-domesticated animals are running wild, dangerous and hungry in the streets, sometimes attacking humans for food. People are literally dropping dead everywhere from highly contagious diseases. The stench of decaying flesh is inescapable.

Of course this story is fictional, but it's plausible. If the world's leaders keep acting as they've been acting recently, this could be a very real scenario for most, if not all of us.

So...what would you do if this became your reality?

Paul, you mean the situation you describe is "fictional" to...everybody reading this thread, yes?

Yes. I am aware that it's already a reality for some people around the globe, but not most...yet.

Hmm... I knew there was a reason that I held on to all of great-grandad's horse-drawn farm equipment.

Now if only there was a horse around...

Edit: I suppose I could round up some of those surplus twinks escaping from the city and hook them up. Dunno... they'd probably be more expensive to feed than a horse. (Or just tell them it's the latest "cross-fit" and charge them for the privilege...)

In "the circles I move in" there is almost no debate about the cause of the next "major war": The most natural resource of all; water.

Look how we're "handling" 50,000 kids at the border now. Greater Mexico City is approaching a population of close to 30 million people; it also loses almost a THIRD of its water every day through leaks in the system. Some estimates indicate that that city will run out of water in... 30 years. Let's say the population by then is 35 million.

And where do we think those 35 million people are going to start walking to in order to find water.... Guatemala??

WrestlerBoy saidIn "the circles I move in" there is almost no debate about the cause of the next "major war": The most natural resource of all; water.

Look how we're "handling" 50,000 kids at the border now. Greater Mexico City is approaching a population of close to 30 million people; it also loses almost a THIRD of its water every day through leaks in the system. Some estimates indicate that that city will run out of water in... 30 years. Let's say the population by then is 35 million.

And where do we think those 35 million people are going to start walking to in order to find water.... Guatemala??

I do work in "Emergency Management" and other "Continuity/Resilience" related disciplines, and "Water" is a key factor in planning scenarios at a global level.

As an ironic example, "Water Stewardship" is a key theme of The Coca Cola Company's corporate social responsibility efforts.

I am the most optimistic person I know, by nature and conviction. However, again, in "certain circles" the scenario Paul describes is not only likely, it is simply inevitable.

We're not a day late and a dollar short on this, we're about 40 years late (in alternative energy resources) and a gezillion dollars short. Yes, there are mega projects attempting to tackle a lot of this in very creative ways, but they are "models" and simply nowhere near enough or in time enough.

Our cynical politicians and media have laughed at this for years. Fine, for most of them (probably even for most of us) we're in the "IBG" crowd ("I'll Be Gone"). But I know of no serious academic or NGOer out in the actual field who, again, does not see Paul's scenario as an almost mathematical dead certainty.

Full disclosure: I am neither an optimist nor a pessamist. I am a realist.

So am I. And all of these are always very "interesting", but the UN, Global Compact, and the rest of it are all just "an industry", like any other. Do you know how many UN Asst Sec Gens and their staffs have to be kept employed coming up with these reports, scenarios, meetings, conferences?

Take Millennium. The minute you see "sustainable", you know it's bullshit. "Sustainable" under which circumstances? The ones we have now? Absolutely no chance, when we continue to have one person on the 405 in LA in one Merc 600.

Full disclosure: I am neither an optimist nor a pessamist. I am a realist.

So am I. And all of these are always very "interesting", but the UN, Global Compact, and the rest of it are all just "an industry", like any other. Do you know how many UN Asst Sec Gens and their staffs have to be kept employed coming up with these reports, scenarios, meetings, conferences?

Take Millennium. The minute you see "sustainable", you know it's bullshit. "Sustainable" under which circumstances? The ones we have now? Absolutely no chance, when we continue to have one person on the 405 in LA in one Merc 600.

paulflexes saidI have no money, no running water, no electricity, no gas/petrol, no operational electronics, no regular place to sleep, no modern conveniences of any kind. But I'm not alone, cause everyone around me is in the same predicament. The entire city is shut down, with no public services, no emergency services, and word on the street says that all the other cities around us have also shut down. All the stores with food have been emptied by looters. All the hospitals and medical centers and clinics have been looted out of meds. All the liquor stores have been looted dry. Once-domesticated animals are running wild, dangerous and hungry in the streets, sometimes attacking humans for food. People are literally dropping dead everywhere from highly contagious diseases. The stench of decaying flesh is inescapable.

Of course this story is fictional, but it's plausible. If the world's leaders keep acting as they've been acting recently, this could be a very real scenario for most, if not all of us.

So...what would you do if this became your reality?

you just described the living conditions within walking distance of my house, and they are just fine. I mean, really, 25% of the people on the whole north side of town are alreay experiencing that by CHOICE. They have their own parking FFS.

It's about WWIII, which is eventually inevitable regardless of who we vote for, or what our political leanings are.

Because the crazies are still in charge. The same neocons that pulled puppet strings on Bush are now instructing Obama. But emboldened with Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya, they're now poking sticks at a big Russian bear that's been backed into a corner.

I thought they'd back down after losing the first round in a spectacularly humiliating fashion but it seems they're determined to escalate.

I don't know if the Malaysian Air disaster is a false flag or not but it's right out of their playbook and if so, it's having the intended result of drawing the EU in.

It's about WWIII, which is eventually inevitable regardless of who we vote for, or what our political leanings are.

Because the crazies are still in charge. The same neocons that pulled puppet strings on Bush are now instructing Obama. But emboldened with Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya, they're now poking sticks at a big Russian bear that's been backed into a corner.

I thought they'd back down after losing the first round in a spectacularly humiliating fashion but it seems they're determined to escalate.

I don't know if the Malaysian Air disaster is a false flag or not but it's right out of their playbook and if so, it's having the intended result of drawing the EU in.

I don't know if it's a false flag either, but it's definitely got me reconsidering some priorities in order to prepare for a not-so-glamorous future. Some people may try to take the lemons and make lemonade. I'll take the lemons, add triple-sec and tequila, and make golden margaritas.